


A Momentary Paws

by stardustedknuckles



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Canon Timeline, F/F, Fluff, Just sibling stuff, Set whenever, beau's bad at asking for affection, caleb knows where the line is and stays just on this side of it, crack adjacent, you ever have a bad day and wish you were a dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28230408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustedknuckles/pseuds/stardustedknuckles
Summary: Beau would rather die than ask for affection, so she picks a fight with Caleb instead because it's been that kind of day. But he's not stupid and they've been here before.
Relationships: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha
Comments: 11
Kudos: 221





	A Momentary Paws

**Author's Note:**

> Look it's been a long day and I would like to be a contentious and oversized canine reluctantly allowing myself to be pet. Self care.
> 
> (They've been here before because I wrote some version of "Beau asks Caleb to make her a dog" a month ago or something. It's fun.)

The second time Beau got turned into a dog, she had admittedly been being a dick.

Words may have been thrown, an exasperated and mostly empty bluff met with an indignant challenge - unstoppable force, immoveable object. Et. Fuckin. Cetera.

"Caleb." Fjord's voice was the exact requisite amount of disapproving and not a hair more. "There are better ways to win arguments."

They all watched the smallish timber wolf rolling over on herself in the middle of the floor and making little growls. However a polymorph affected her ability to think, Beau clearly remembered she was offended and not done yet.

"She was not looking to win or she would have," Caleb said, unfazed. "She is being stubborn about what she wants." He drummed his fingers on the table. "Besides, she didn't resist." He stood up with a sigh and stepped to the center of the room. "Goodnight, Beauregard," he said to the wolf.

Beau's tail thumped once.

As Caleb floated up and out of sight, Fjord scrubbed a tired hand over his face. "Welp. That's enough for me. I'm going to bed. Jessie?"

Jester turned her chin towards him but her eyes fell to Yasha. "Yeah just a sec. Yasha, do you want to be a wolf too?"

Yasha had been sitting with her chin propped on her hand while Caleb and Beau riled each other up for the last half an hour, and now she flicked her eyes to Jester and seemed to consider it. "No thank you," she said finally. "I'm going to help her settle down." Beau gave a huge snort and rolled to face away from them.

"I will never understand those two together," Fjord mused. "But they seem to understand each other, so." He shrugged.

Jester knelt and stroked the fur between Beau's ears. "They're both stubborn," she said fondly. Beau tossed her head to bump it against Jester's hand and sneezed before flopping back over to stare at the fire in the hearth.

Yasha returned their goodnight waves and waited until they were out of sight to walk over and sit down on the floor beside Beau. One big brown eye rolled to look up at her, and then Beau the wolf huffed and looked away.

Yasha reached out and tugged an ear fondly. "I don't suppose you want to talk about it." Beau turned her head and took Yasha's arm lightly in her mouth, making more contentious sounds from deep in her throat as Yasha nodded in sympathy. "It was a little funny," she admitted. "But only because he was right." She pulled her arm easily free and tapped Beau's damp nose. "You know people sometimes just ask for a hug instead of picking fights, yes?"

Beau made more noises and wiggled closer to Yasha on her back, butting her head against her leather-clad thigh. Yasha sighed and scratched Beau's furry chest, turning her head out of reach of an outstretched forepaw. "You are a terror," she said finally, grabbing Beau's waving paws and pushing at her head when she started gnawing at Yasha's fingers. "What? You want to play?"

Beau shoved her head up under Yasha's elbow and squirmed into her lap. Small for a wolf was still startlingly large and in trying to manhandle her into some kind of petting position Yasha ended up on her back with a very satisfied-looking canine stretched over her torso, paws on her shoulders. Beau's soft pink tongue darted out to lick at Yasha's jaw and when she reached up to pet her this time, Beau leaned hard into her touch and swished her tail.

"Okay, okay," Yasha sighed, smiling. "Snuggles it is. But you're going to be embarrassed when this wears off and you're still lying here on me in the middle of the tower." Beau pressed closer in response and half rolled on her back, jaws opening and closing playfully even as she made those same low complaints.

It took a few minutes, but finally Beau let out a long sigh and relaxed fully on top of Yasha with a huge yawn for punctuation. She stilled in a final kind of way, and Yasha stroked a finger up her nose to between her eyes over and over as the fire crackled eternally behind them.

Yasha had been right to assume that Beau would be embarrassed to come back to herself still stretched out on top of her, but it didn't quite work out that way. By the time the polymorph faded, both of them were fast asleep.


End file.
